The Great Captain Usopp and his Story-Telling Adventures
by matcha-sama
Summary: Saturdays at the library means story time for the kids, and today, their favorite story teller has come to visit.


It was Saturday, and as the clock ticked closer and closer to 11:00, kids began gathering in the childrens' section of the library, excitedly chattering amongst each other. They sat down on the round carpet in the center of the room, fidgeting anxiously.

When the clock struck 11:00, the soft thumping of boots approached the children from the back of the room. They all turned to look, an excited sparkle in their eyes.

Cheers of "Usopp!" and "Captain Usopp!" and "Story time, Usopp!" were heard, and he grinned.

"I wonder...Who's ready for story time~?" he asked, feigning ignorance. Voices rose, and he quickly put a finger to his lips, shooting a glance over at the supervising librarian, Ms. Robin. She remained impassive, reading her book, and he sighed softly in relief. He took his seat at the front of the circle, sitting up straight.

"Today, I'll be telling you of the time that I saved an entire island from a tyrannical ruler and brought peace to the land." he said proudly. An excited hush fell over the children, and they listened with attentive ears. He grinned and cleared his throat before beginning his tale.

"Many years ago, there was a horrible king - a greedy and unfair man who only cared about furthering his own ambitions. He didn't care about his people or their well being. All he wanted was gold, power, and use those things to rule the world." Usopp began darkly. "All the people of his kingdom suffered. All his knights were trained day and night so he could invade nearby kingdoms. When the other kingdoms heard of this madness, they prepared for battle. No sooner had they started preparations, that he attacked, slaying all that dared oppose him. His knights were too strong. The greedy king quickly took over the surrounding areas, and no one dared oppose him. All the people lived in fear of the mean king, and all they could do was go about their lives, and hope that he didn't take their crops and money. They all prayed and prayed for someone to right all the wrongs of the king. They needed a savior. But none appeared. Months passed, then years. The people were beginning to lose hope."

The children listened on, worriedly.

"Until one day, a traveler came to town. Upon seeing the conditions these people were living in, he demanded to meet with the king. He saw that the kingdom was in danger of falling to ruin if the king did not take care of it. However, the king laughed off the traveler, and sent a few knights to kill the man. What the king didn't know was that the traveler was not just a traveler. The knights were beaten to a pulp and discovered at the gate of the castle the next morning with a note pinned to their armor: 'Meet me in the abandoned fields on the outskirts of the kingdom. -the traveler' Outraged, the king declared war on the traveling stranger, and his large army charged into the abandoned fields. There stood the traveler. One against one thousand. The king was confident he'd win. They went into battle. They fought long and hard."

Usopp paused dramatically.

"The one who emerged victorious... was the traveler. He had taken on a thousand men and won. He made his way to the king who was cowering in the middle of the field. The king begged for the traveler's mercy, and the traveler conceded. He allowed the king to live, but under one condition: that he'd do all that he could to restore the kingdom to it's rightful state. The king who was king no more was sent to work in the town, helping rebuild houses and helping to plant crops. The people of the kingdom were overjoyed. They praised their savior, whom they did not even know the name of. Upon being asked his name, the traveler replied 'I do not go by a name. You can call me the traveling story-teller.' The people were so amazed by his humility and his strength that they made him king. He ruled the kingdom and brought peace to the lands that had not seen prosperity in many years."

Usopp looked at the children before him who had pure admiration on their faces. "The traveling story-teller?" a child piped up. "That's like you!" "Are you the traveling story-teller?" another asked. Usopp grinned and winked. "You're a king?!" "You fought a thousand men?!" "You're so cool, Usopp!" Usopp beamed at the children, and puffed out his chest in pride.

"Bet you didn't think I'd be able to do such things, huh?" he teased. All the children shook their heads. "It just goes to show that you can't judge a book by it's cover." he said with a softer smile. The children murmured amongst themselves, until a small voice called out.

"One more story? Please?" The request was quickly joined by other voices, and soon the entire group of children were begging. Usopp sighed in mock exasperation.

"Alright, alright, fine. Just one more. Let me tell you about the time that I discovered an island..."

As Usopp began his second story, Robin smiled to herself. Though Usopp's stories were strange and by today's standards, "uneducational" and "unconventional", she believed that every child should grow up with such tales, as impossible as they were. She glanced over, and watched the man animatedly tell the children about how he fought an enormous crab and a few sharks with only a pair of coconuts. She laughed softly to herself, and smiled. He had captivated the hearts of the children.

In a small town such as this, Usopp had quickly become something of a celebrity among the children, and whenever they'd see him, they would be quick to ask for a story. With the right inspiration, the man would quickly weave tales of faraway lands and adventures that one could only dream of having. The children always left with a bright sparkle in their eye, and a spring in their step.

Ending was slightly edited because my beta and I both agreed that the ending didn't match. Thank you to alliasterling for pointing it out as well! :)


End file.
